Aster plant named ‘Victoria Ilona’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of potted  Aster  plant named ‘Victoria Ilona’, characterized by its upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit; dark green foliage; freely flowering habit; and decorative-type inflorescences with light purple-colored ray florets.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Aster novi-belgiicultivar Victoria Ilona.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of pottedAster plant, botanically known as Aster novi-belgii and hereinafterreferred to by the name ‘Victoria Ilona’.

The new Aster is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Årslev, Denmark. The objective of the breeding programis to create new potted Aster cultivars with uniform plant growth habit,desirable floret colors, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Aster originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventorin Årslev, Denmark in July, 2000, of a proprietary Aster selectionidentified as code number F1, not patented, as the female, or seed,parent with the Aster cultivar Loke Viking, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat.No. 10,359, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Aster was discoveredand selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within theprogeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlledenvironment in Årslev, Denmark. The selection of this plant was based onits uniform plant growth habit and desirable inflorescence form and rayfloret color.

Asexual reproduction of the new Aster by vegetative tip cuttings wasfirst conducted in Årslev, Denmark during June, 2001. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newAster are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Victoria Ilona has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Victoria Ilona’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Victoria Ilona’ as a new and distinct Aster:

1. Upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.

2. Dark green foliage.

3. Freely flowering habit.

4. Decorative-type inflorescences with light purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Aster are more compact than plants of the femaleparent selection. In addition, plants of the new Aster differ fromplants of the female parent selection in ray floret coloration.

Plants of the new Aster have more ray florets per inflorescence thanplants of the male parent, the cultivar Loke Viking. In addition, plantsof the new Aster differ from plants of the cultivar Loke Viking in rayfloret coloration as plants of the cultivar Loke Viking have redpurple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Aster can be compared to plants of the cultivarVictoria Fanny, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,360. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Broby, Denmark, plants of the new Asterdiffered from plants of the cultivar Victoria Fanny in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Aster had more ray florets per inflorescence thanplants of the cultivar Victoria Fanny.

2. Plants of the new Aster and the cultivar Victoria Fanny differed inray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Victoria Fanny hadlavender blue-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Aster showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possibleto obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newAster.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Victoria Ilona’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view ofthe upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces of typical inflorescencesand leaves of ‘Victoria Ilona’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementionedphotographs, following observations and measurements describe plantsgrown and flowered during the summer in Broby, Denmark, in aglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate thosegenerally used in commercial potted Aster production. During theproduction of these plants, day and night temperatures were about 20 to21° C. One cutting was planted in 10-cm containers and pinched once.Plants were about 12 weeks old when the photographs and the botanicaldescription were taken.

Botanical classification: Aster novi-belgii cultivar Victoria Ilona.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Aster novi-belgii selectionidentified as code number F1, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Aster novi-belgii cultivar Loke Viking,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,359.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 12 days at 21° C. Winter: About 13days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, close to 155D; fine; fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Aster. Stems upright andsomewhat outwardly spreading; rounded plant habit. Appropriate for 10 to15-cm containers.

Plant height.—About 14 to 18 cm.

Plant width.—About 17 to 19 cm.

Lateral branches (Peduncles).—Length: About 5 to 10 cm. Diameter: About2 to 4 mm. Strength: Strong. Angle: Mostly erect. Texture: Slightlypubescent. Color: 137A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; sessile. Length: About 4 to5 cm. Width: About 1 to 1.4 cm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base:Cuneate. Margin: Slightly serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Glabrous, smooth; leathery. Color: Developing and fully expandedfoliage, upper surface: 147A; venation, close to 147A. Developing andfully expanded foliage, lower surface: 137C; venation, close to 137C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with narrowlyobovate-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences terminal or axillary. Discand ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences notfragment. Inflorescences persistent.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inthe summer in Broby, Denmark.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for about three weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—About six to nine inflorescences develop perlateral branch.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 4 to 6 mm. Diameter: About 4 to 6 mm.Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.5 to 4 cm. Depth (height): About 1to 1.5 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 to 5 mm.

Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence/arrangement: About250 to 300 arranged in about six to nine whorls. Length: About 1.2 to 2cm. Width: About 1 to 2 mm. Shape: Narrowly obovate. Apex: Rounded.Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Smooth, glabrous. Orientation: Initially upright, then mostlyhorizontal. Aspect: Straight to slightly concave. Color: When openingand fully opened, upper surface: 76A; color becoming closer to 76C withdevelopment. When opening and fully opened, lower surface: 76B.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Number ofdisc florets per inflorescence: About 10 to 20. Length: About 2 to 3 mm.Width: Less than 1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Acute. Color:137D.

Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 30 to 40. Length: About 2mm. Width: Less than 1 mm. Shape: Narrowly deltoid. Apex: Acuminate.Base: Truncate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.Color, upper and lower surfaces; 147A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Quantityper disc floret: One. Anther shape: Narrowly obovate. Anther length:About 1 mm. Anther color: 8D. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen color:12A. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Quantity perfloret: One. Stigma shape: Bifurcate. Stigma color: 155D.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toAsters has not been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of potted Aster plantnamed ‘Victoria Ilona’, as illustrated and described.